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N. lKEELING.

coTToN PICKER. APPLICATION-FILED APR. I6 1913- Patente Aug. 15, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l,

@num/vio@ ./V Keeling N; Kemj;

Patented Aug. 15, 1916 is 'SHEETS-SHEET a N KEELING coTToN PICKER,APPLICATIONv FILED. APR- IE, 1913- UNTTED sTATEs PATENT onirica.`

NEWTON KEELING, 0F MAUMEE, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 JOHN H.

ROBINSON, OF MAUMEE, AFKANSAS. f

COTTON-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April` 16, 1913. Serial No. 761,541.

TeaM/whom 'it may concern: lie it known that I, NEWTON KEELING,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Maumee, in the county ofSearcy and StateY of Arkansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements `in Cotton-Pickers; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to improvements inV 'to me May 30, 1911.

I will now proceed to' describe my' improvements in the followingspecification and accompanying drawings, in which,

-Figure 1 is a side view of myvimproved cotton picker; Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is adetail sectional view of the gear and sprockets used to drive theinterior mechanism of my improved cotton picker; Fig. 4 is a detailsectional view of the connection between the forward and rear frame ofmy improved -cotton picker; Fig. 5 is a' detail perspective View of afragment of the picking belt, Ashowing picking fingers in place; Fig. 6is a detail sectional View of trough; Fig. 7 is a detail perspectiveview of the T-shaped members which connect the two sections of the frameand Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of the axle. y

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference 2 indicates wheels,whi h are carried by the ends of axle 3. This axle is:

provided intermediate its ends with a U- shaped arch 4 which extendsupwardly and is adapted to straddle the row of cotton over which thedevice is operated.

The wheels 2 are each provided adjacent their hubs with a plate 5 which4plate is piercedwith apertures adapted to receive bolts or .rivetswhich-pass through a collar 6 provided at one extremity with an out-,wardly'ilared portion 7 having on its opposite face gear teeth 8.Thesegear teeth 8 are adapted to mesh with small piuions) when thedevice is in use.

guide bars 13 are'secured' at the extreme f of the shafts 1Q. Theseshafts lOare journaled in suitable. bearings formed on the shafts 3 andare adapted to provide drive shafts for operating the picker mechanismwhich will be more fully hereinafter described. Secured to theverticalarms of the U-shapedarch4 of the axle 3 are the platesy .11 whichconverge rearwardly as'illustrated 1n Fig. 1. These plates are attachedso that their rear ends extend beyond .the rear edge of the axle and theforward ends of the) plates are each provided with a flangeA 12 whichpreventsthesharp forward edges 'of the plates from injuring PatentedAug. 15, 1916.

the cotton plants' Suitable T-shapedwhich are carried at the outwardextremities rear ends of the plate and are adapted *tol l `form supportson which a rea-r pickerfijame 1s adJustably mounted.. Suitable guidemembers 1 4 are attached t0 the rear frame L and are adapted to slide onthe T-shaped guide members 13 and each of the guide members 14 comprisesa plate 15 provided at opposite extremities with thel right angularlyextended portions 16 which in turn are provided at their outer ends with.the vinturned anges as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

It will thus be seen that a substantially T- shaped slot is providedto.receive. the T shaped guide 13 and that the rear picker frame willbeslidably mounted with relation to 'the forward supporting frame therebyallowing the device to be used for picking large or small -cottonplants.

The picker frame hereinbefore referred.

to comprisesa pair of arched frames 19 having formed integral therewiththe downwardly extending parallel arms 2O each of r vwhichlterminates atits lower end in the in` wardly extending bars 22 which support at theirinner ends 'the standards 21. These standards extend upwardly and haveattached thereto thevguide members 14. A suitable bottom plate 23 issecured to the lower terminals of each of the arms ofthe frame 19and'these plates 23 are provi/ded at their inneredges with the upturnedanges 24 which engage the inner' faces of the standards 21 and provideattaching means for said plates. Secured to the outer edges of theplates 23 inany preferred manner are theupwardly extending outwardly inclined plates 25,which foperate with the plates 23 in formingla housingfor the lower runs of the picke hereinafter described. A.

is adapted to form a cove frame and is provided at o with vsuitabledownturned ends of which are bent in wardly to formr belt as will bemore the troughs 27 ,i the fully suitable hood 28 r for the pickerpposite side edges walls, the lower wardly and upinner walls of whichare designated by the numeral 26 andextend upwa relation and atta theplates 25. As illus ings, it will be seen tha positioned laterally of t'provide rece rdly in parallel Glied to the upper edges of trated in thedrawllfhe troughs 27 are he picker flame and ptacles into which thepicked '1;cotton is thrown Afrom'the picker fingers.

A pivoted lever 29-is attached to each plate 11 near its rear end andconnected thereto and extending downwardly to a point near theretractile coil are mounted onmsaid lever and form idlers over whichthe'idriveclains of the picker belt operating mechanism runs. This leveri able passes over each s and idlers form a tension device which isadapted Vto take up th each chain incident to ing of the the stationaryframe. The shafts 10 are journaled -in suitable formed on the ends ofthe axle 3 vmounted at their rear ends suitsprockets 31 over whichthepicker bearings and have or take up e slack in the raising andlowerpickerfframe with relation to n is pivoted at its mechanism drivechains 32 operate. These chains pass over the sprockets 33 mounted onthe forward end ofthe shafts 34 on which the. sprockets 35` are mounted.The I'conveyer drive chain 36 of each picker belt able sprocket 37 endof each of th idler,

thus be seen that alon g.

procket 35 and over a suitmounted on the forward e conveyer shafts 38.39, mounted on an axle secured to the picker frame presses dow n uponthe upper 36, to keep it taut. It will when thej device is drawn theground the chain 32 will cause`v l the picker belt and shaft 33 torevolve and this shaft revolving' the sprocket 35 lwill drive The innerruns wardly. so that t the cotton from the open bells.

belt 1s provided zontal rows of pi comprisesa stem continuations tion asclearl the chain 36 and thereby cause the and e picker fingers may pullEach picker with a pluralityv of hori-l cker fingers, each of whichportion extending through lthe belt 40 which is provided at its outer44. lThe fingers are desig- Anated by the numeral 42 and are formed ofthe loops and each`7 of said fingers is provided with an upturned yshown in Fig. 5. s

attached thereto the seat 51.

'adjpstable with relation to said tioned in the troughs ,27 and mountedQH the shaft 38 are the conveyors 43 each of which comprises a spiralrib or liu the entire length a main body 46 having 47 extendingthroughout thereof. The diameter 'of the conveyer is substantially equalto the edges is a suitable top plate having secured to thexnpper sidethereof suitable straps 48 for supporting the shaft pole 49. Secured totheupper face of the shaft pole is a suitable seat supporting bracket 50having Pivoted at the rear end 0f the pole 49 is a bell crank lever 52,the long arm 53 of which is provided with a slot 54 through which asuitable pin 55 extends which pin extends throughgthe ear 56 securedcentrally vof the hood 28 thereby forming a connection between'the mainframe and 'picker frame by means of which the two frames may berelatively adjusted. A link 57 is connected to the short arm of the bellcrank lever 52 and opposite end to the lower end' of the lever 58carrying the latch 59 which is adapted to coperate with the segment 60in holding the lever in its various adjusted positionsf It will beapparent from the foregoing that in use the picker frame is adjusted onthat the frames straddle the row of cotton vthe -device is then drivenso to be picked. The forward movement of the machine will cause. thewheels to revolve thereby driving the picker belts and conveyers and itwill be seen that as the machine passes over the cotton plants the samewill be guided within the plates '11 and the picker fingers on thebeltswill remove the cotton from the open bolls, and throw the same intothe troughs from whence they pass into suitable receptacles.

While in the fore oing there has been shown and described he preferredembodiment of this invention, itis to be understood that such changesmay be made in the combination and arrangement of parts as will fallwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In'a. cotton harvester, the combination with a carriage comprising anarched axle, converging guide plates secured to the legs of said archedaxle and wheels supporting the carriage, of a picker frame verticallyand positioned at the rear end thereof, and

means to hold said frame in various adjusted positions.

carria ce..

Q. cotton harvester comprising the combination with a carriagecomprising an arched axle, wheelssupporting said axle,

with a carriage comprising an arched axle,-

wheels supporting the axle, converging guide plates secured to thevertical arms of said axle, guides at the rear ends of said guideplates, of a picker frame vertically adjustable on said guides, pickerbelts in sald frame, means driven from the supporting wheels to drivethe picker belt and means to adjust the picker frame vertically on thecarriage.

4. In a cotton harvester, the combination with a carriage, wheelssupporting said carriage, of a picker frame vertically adjustable at therear end of the carriage, picker belts in said frame, means connected tothe wheels and to the picker belts to drive the same upon rotation ofthe Wheels, and a train o levers carried-by the carriage to verticallyadjust the picker frame with relation to the carriage.

5. A cotton harvester comprising an arched axle, wheels journaled upo'nthe axle, a picker frame located wholly in the rear of the axle, meansby which the picker frame may be adjusted vertically with relation tothe axle, picker mechanism carried by the frame, means or operating thepicker mechanism, and guide plates located within the arch ofthe axleand extending forwardly and rearwardly beyond the axle, the rear ends ofsaid plates .being associated with 4o the frame to direct the cottonplants to said mechanism. y

In testimony whereof I alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NEWTON. KEELING.

Witnesses: j

' GLENNIE LANGsToN,

Nnrrrn E. ROBINSON.

